What could have been
by Lok
Summary: Connected series oneshots of what could have been in the world of Code Geass, had one little thing been different...
1. Confrontation

**This disclaimer applies throughout the chapters: Code Geass isn't my intellectual property or any type of property belonging to me. (There's a reason this story is on this website!) The time between Euphemia's death and the unmasking of Zero in the first series has been changed for this chapter. You'll understand why when you read.  
**

* * *

Suzaku was angry. Not the usual hot blooded angry he felt, such as when those two ele-Japanese had been fighting with those Britannians in what was left of old Tokyo all those months ago. Not even the fire-storm of hysterical rage directed to Zero when he saw him shoot Euphemia. No, this was a cold, heavy anger, that burned steadily in his heart. That strange blonde boy had told him of Zero's identity-who the wretched person was. He couldn't believe it-he trusted them, he thought he'd understood them. They'd kissed and more... normally the memory of their first and only time (first in both senses) made him blush furiously. Not this time.

It had been a lie. All of it.

As he walked down the dark corridor of the cave, the heavy steel of the gun comforted him in a vague sense. He was going to finish this. Once and for all. Entering the room he didn't see the unusual door, he didn't even see Kallen. All he saw was Zero. Raising the gun, he fired a warning shot, missing their head. It had the desired effect; Zero froze.

"Interesting power of yours..." he drawled laconically as he continued walking, gun raised.

Zero turned. "I don't know what you're talk-" he began, but Suzaku cut him off.

"Don't lie to me."

Zero paused, no doubt _that person _calculating the scenarios. At least, so Suzaku thought. The truth was, they'd never heard him talking like that before; so much anger, yet so calm. Suzaku had always been the brash, impulsive one. They'd always been the doting sibling, who'd learnt too quickly, at too young an age, to never show their emotions.

"...I see. So you found out my secret..." It wasn't a confession. It wasn't even a statement; just Zero thinking out aloud.

"That's all you have to _say_!?" Suzaku growled. The cold flame of his anger was rapidly having petrol poured onto it. Even now, after everything they'd done to him, to Euphemia, to all the innocent people-god, even to themselves! He could almost see the smirk behind that faceless mask. Speaking of which... he raised his gun a little higher, aiming for the head.

He gently squeezed the trigger.

He managed to hide his surprise-instead of shattering, it glanced off. Zero took a step back from the shock of the impact, before an audible crackling sound filled the silent cavern; out of the corner of his eye he saw Kallen looking on at Zero in a mixture of anticipation and fear-in the back of his mind he realised that she must have not known who Zero really was.

"You know Suzaku, this is almost worthy of one of Shakespeare's tragedies..." Zero said as the crack across their mask became visible, the shock of the bullet's impact too much for the material.

He didn't reply.

Crackling. Finally, shattering. Two almost-instantaneous 'plocks' as the halves of the mask hit the floor together.

And the hair swept out. He felt his heart stop. It was... part of him had been hoping desperately against all hope it was just a huge mistake-that they were always in the wrong place at the wrong time, that Zero wasn't...

"Yes. Me."

Luluko gave him a sad smile.

He almost dropped the gun there and then. Even as blood trickled down her forehead (How the hell did she hide all that hair anyway?) he barely restrained the anguished cry. He'd always held a soft spot for Luluko, but after Zero... _she _had killed her, their affections had blossomed into more. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"I wanted to." The smile vanished, leaving just sadness. "I almost did."

His mind flashed back to a few weeks ago; lying in her bed after they'd made love for the first time, running his fingers through her silky hair... she'd started crying, and almost told him what was wrong. When he'd asked though, she'd refused to explain what she was crying about though she'd assured him, with an adorable blush, that it hadn't been because of his performance.

'So that was it...'

"B....but Zero's a _man_!" the anguished wail said, drawing both their attentions to the half-Japanese rebel, tears in her eyes, but in typical Kallen fashion, refusing to give in and cry. Luluko gave her a dry look. "Chest bindings." "They hurt like hell too" She muttered to no-one in particular as she turned back to face Suzaku.

"I need your help, Nunally's been kidna-"

"Is that ALL YOU HAVE TO _SAY_!?" Suzaku almost screamed, the noise echoing across the cavern.  
"BECAUSE OF YOU, EUHPEIMIA'S _DEAD_!"

Luluko's eyes widened before that damned mask of sanguineness slipped back down. So Euphemia was a sore topic was it?  
"What's wrong Luluko-_chan_?" He sneered the honorific. "Sore spot? Why did you do it anyway? Jealous? Did you see us getting closer and couldn't stand it?" His words hit the target; he could see the pain in her eyes and even her face. She was good at masking her emotions, but he'd become good at reading her mask since... god he almost felt sick at the idea he'd had sex with Euphemia's killer. Somehow she reigned her emotions in.

"We can talk about that later, right now Nunally is-"

"No."

"-...what?" Luluko didn't bother hiding her surprise. Ever since she'd come to Japan boys, Suzaku one of many, had been enchanted with her foreign beauty, and been used to having them do anything she wanted for her. Attraction aside, Suzaku was a friend and above all others had been someone she could always depend on to help her.

Until now.

"I'm stopping this rebellion now. It's over."

"B-but Nunally-"  
"TO HELL WITH HER!"

Both of the girls flinched at the venom in his shout; Luluko looked like she'd been slapped. A second pause before the mask crumbled, naked fear in her eyes as the tears welled up in them. It was one of the few times he'd ever seen her cry.

"I-I've already lost one sister Suzaku, please help m-"

Another gunshot, again over her shoulder, cut her off.

She pulled back her cape, revealing the sakurite bomb. Suzaku vaguely noted that she must have been utterly desperate to resort to that sort of tactic, but he wasn't interested at that point. She gave some stupid speech about something he honestly didn't care about any more... his anger and grown too much. In mid rant he yelled at her to shut up.

"YOU KILLED THE GIRL I LOVED" he continued. Her eyes widened.

"YOU WERE NOTHING BUT A REPLACEMENT" A gasp. Her eyes filled with tears and her lower jaw trembled

"YOU'RE A MISTAKE!" she visibly flinched at that, and took a step back.  
Part of him was crying in terror for him to stop, that it was just the shock of the discovery of Zero's identity, and that he didn't really mean what he was saying it but his mouth kept going as he pointed the gun at her, and she pointed one she'd suddenly pulled out from under that cape at him. They were both burning bridges, making what was for a brief moment the only time in their adolescences they could say they'd truly been happy nothing but a bitter memory but he just didn't _care_.

He just didn't care about anything any more.

"YOU AND I WERE A MISTAKE!" Luluko couldn't take any more.

She screamed his name. He screamed hers.

They aimed their pistols.

They fired.


	2. Clovis

**You may have already have seen these on 4chan. That's because I originally wrote them for there on a spur of the moment impulse, and then realised I'd better get them uploaded somewhere in case someone tries to pass it off as their work. Hope you enjoy them as much as (most) of /a/ did.**

* * *

"Pull back immediately! I will permit no further combat!"

With that the lights died in his mobile command post. Clovis gave a small sigh.

"That all?"

The soldier gave a nod.

"What next? Want me to sing a song?" Clovis snarkily suggested. The female soldier walked towards him.

"Or maybe play a game of chess?"

The woman paused, face concealed in the shadows as she removed the helmet and tossed it aside. "Ah, that brings back memories." Clovis' eyes widened slightly. It _couldn't_ be...

She walked into the light filtering through the slit windows. He gasped. It was.

"Marianne..." he breathlessly said. The hair. The eyes. The face. It was her, it...

"Guess again...." She walked further into the light, and it was clear that she was younger, and yet... there was no way she could... 'Of _course_!' he choked on a cry at his own stupidity and stood up.

"Luluko! You're alive!" He didn't bother concealing his pleasure... even though he was her half-brother, he'd found her attractive even when they were younger. Now, she looked every bit as beautiful as her mother.

But unlike her mother always was, she wasn't smiling. In fact, there was a nervous, but determined look in her eye; the same one he remembered from the confrontation between her and father.

She gave a mock curtsey. "Daughter of the late Princess Consort Marianne and Emperor Charles of Britannia." He couldn't contain his joy-the little girl who'd been the darling of the Royal family-most of it anyway-hadn't been killed by the Japanese after all! "Th-they said you were-"

"Dead, wasn't it?" she arched a delicate eyebrow and slowly walked to him, rolling her hips, much to his distraction. She had become quite the woman, easily her mother's equal. He walked down the steps of his 'throne' to embrace her, and tilted her head up by the chin with a hand to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. His heart felt like it was going to burst with joy, that one of the family was safe and sound. She merely gazed up into his eyes with lidded eyes, eyes oh-so-like her mothers.

"I have returned my prince..." she whispered breathlessly.

He suddenly felt a gun pressed into his stomach. Too surprised to do anything, she shoved him back so he landed in his chair, recognising the look on her face as the one she got when she won (or thought she'd won) one of their chess games. That arrogant smirk that was _so _Luluko.

..."to change everything."

Painfully aware of the laser dot bouncing around his torso Clovis tried to ignore it.

"I-I'm so glad you're alive Luluko! I'm so happy, and I know the others will be too; especially Euphemia and Cornelia! Will you come back with me?"

"Be whored out again as a political tool? Like you have been? I don't think so, _brother_" the venom dripped from her words.

"I haven't forgotten what happened to my mother. How it was covered up and we were sent away. Oh, and Nunally's still blind, and still paralysed. Thanks for asking."

An angry look, so much like her father's. "Were you involved?" The laser dot was on his head now, flickering over an eye every now and then.

"I wasn't involved! I swear I wasn't!" Clovis was never one for direct combat, and especially being so vulnerable like this. She gave a cruel smile.

"It doesn't matter. No-one can lie to me _now_."

His head felt slightly fuzzy for a moment and he wondered where he was, before he remembered the situation at hand. Recoiling to the back of the chair, hands in the air, he started gibbering in fear.

"It wasn't me! I swear it wasn't me!"

Luluko seemed to believe him. She lowered the gun... before stepping forward and placing it so close to his forehead he could almost feel the cold metal.

"Please, we may not have the same mother but I still loved you as a brother! I still do!"

Her face was cold and emotionless, despite the nervousness in her eyes. "The world will not change through naive talk."

Clovis saw and heard the trigger being depressed. And then: nothing.


	3. Finale

The finale of the series with my little scenario; not necessarily the end of the oneshots, if inspiration hits me again, but how I see the end of Code Geass with my 'little change'.

* * *

The platform juddered to a halt. Whispers and then cries filled the streets as everyone pointed to a figure, crying out his name: Zero.

"So the final show begins..."

Squashing the nervousness, if not outright fear, Luluko suddenly realized she should probably feign surprise, so she did, even as Jeremiah tried (and obviously failed) to stop 'Zero' from reaching her. Drawing the pistol from under her cloak, she chambered a round and took a shot at him, mentally wincing before Suzaku spin-kicked it out of her hand...

...only for her to realize that he wasn't about to blow his cover, but simply grabbing and overpowering her, like that time a few nights... she felt herself blushing, twisting her face into a snarl. It wouldn't do for the Demon Queen to look like a schoolgirl.

Even if she felt like one.

He threw her back, landing badly against the throne, feeling something in her back start to sting from hitting the edge of the seat. Not that it would matter shortly. She made eye contact with where she imagined Suzaku eyes to be.

A heartbeat.

Grabbing the sword she took a swing, giving an enraged snarl but Suzaku easily dodged the clumsy swing, grabbed the blade and...

Oh god, did it _hurt_. It hurt almost as much as it felt strange, a shaft of metal running though her chest, a lung and out through her back. She felt nauseous from the blood rapidly filling her lung (or maybe it was just shock...) and realised she had to say something to the man in the helmet next to her head. So she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I love you."

She could feel him tense before trembling, struggling to hold back to sobs.

"And now, you must live on in that costume. You must never reveal yourself... and please, take care of Nunally."

"...I understand."

She felt he wanted to say now, but all she got was an agonizing pain in her chest. Instead of a screaming, she just hacked up and choked on blood, when he wrenched the sword out, staggering blindly before she felt herself falling, landing in an undignified heap somewhere, her vision clouding.

"S-sister?" an oh-too-familiar-voice whispered, half joyful, half grief. Only one thought went through her at point: '_Shit_.' The reason she'd had Nunally placed there in chains was so she couldn't get a very good view of what Suzak... Zero, was going to... had done, to her. So much for sparing her sister the worst of it... The pain had become a dull throbbing, she felt cold, she felt the blood running into her hair and clothes. She was dying of course; she knew it, but she couldn't go without saying something to Nunally, not like this. Feeling a warm hand on hers, she felt it tense before a sob came from where her sister was.

"You... you planned... all this.. and all this time...?" Luluko could see the horrified, accusing, heartbroken look on her sister's face, her sister somehow knowing what she done passing her by and for a moment she regretted doing Zero Requiem, before laughing (or at least, hacking up a bit more bloody) as a thought crossed her mind. She really _was _like her mother: dying next to Nunally, drenching her with her blood and all in a planned situation. The irony was astounding. As breathing suddenly seemed such hard work, she hoarsely said her last words:

"Be happy, Nunally."

Her vision failing, the last thing she heard was her sister's screams of anguish before oblivion swallowed her.

* * *

Slamming the door behind him, suzak... no. Zero, slid down the door until he was sitting against it on the floor. He felt so fucking _tired_, pysically but most of all, emotionally. Finally no longer forced to hold them in, Suzak... Zero, wept, Luluko's last words to him still ringing in his head, the afternoon before briefly flashing in his mind.

* * *

It was the emperor (empress' now) chamber, and Jeremiah, Suzaku and Luluko were the only ones there. The males were trying to talk the female out of her plan but she wasn't having any of it. Eventually even stubborn, if not dogmatic, Jeremiah gave up, unhappily promising his part in the final part of Zero Reqiuem before leaving under a cloud.

"He's like a puppy when he's upset..." Luluko murmured thoughtfully a few moments after he'd left. Suz... Zero, chuckled before he remembered why they were in her room. He argued with her, oh how he _argued_. It was dark when he was still arguing, it was night when he resorted to begging, and it was close to tomorrow morning (today?) when she deployed her most devestating counter to his words. She gave him that gentle look of hers that not even _Nunally _had ever recieved, and spoke four words.

"Do you love me?"

Su... Zero's arguments died in his throat. He took her hand.

"You know I do."

She could see it in his eyes, the pain it caused him, her plan. Unable to hold his earnest gaze, she lowered her head.  
"...then please do this one last thing I ask of you. Think of the pain I've caused, think of the suffering I've caused, think of Eupheima if you have to... just please, _promise _me you'll do it."

"..."

"Suzaku?"

"..._Fine_."

She squeezed his hand gently, in thanks, before leaning in to give him a chaste kiss.

"It's late."

With that, she pulled him to the massive four-post bed that was hers, for one final time together.

* * *

After he'd finally cried all his tears away, until only dry sobs wracked his body, S... Zero... stood on wobbly knees, before he realised where he was with a gasp.

He was in her room.

He turned to the door, frantic to avoid being reminded of her even as memories of last night, and several others assaulted him before they overcame him, and his legs collapsed under the burden of guilt and misery again. He thought Euphemia's passing had been painful, but it had been nothing compared to this. Zero gave a humourless chuckle at Luluko's last words to him.

"And now, you must live on in that costume. You must never reveal yourself..."

That would be very easy to do. Kurugi Suzaku had died with the woman he loved. Finding strength in the thought, Zero suddenly felt calm. He had a task to do. He had to protect Nunally for the woman who'd given everything up to and including her life to make the world a better place. It was a gift Zero would _not _squander. Turning to the empty room again, mentally saying his farewells, Zero noticed the letter on the bed. Walking over to the bed, sitting on the soft matress, trying to ignore the lingering smell of Luluko, he picked it up off the silk and there, in Luluko's unmistakably delicate handwriting, was one word:

'Suzaku'.

Wondering what she'd wanted to say to her late lover, Zero opened the letter, and read.

_"My love, if you are reading this then it is my hope that our plan succeded. I am sorry to have hurt you again; first in our childhood when I went into hiding, then murdering Euphemia, your first love..."_

"No, you were Suzaku's first love... he just didn't realise it." Zero replied, to the empty room.

_"...and again, this final time by forcing you to kill me with your own hands. Please don't blame yourself Suzaku. I know the geass already forces you to do this, but this time I don't order you, I ask you: Live on."_

"Suzaku is dead."

_"I hope I managed to tell you I love you. I never told you, even after all those times we made love..."_

Zero paused. Suzaku had always wondered if she'd just been using sex as a way to reinforce his loyalty to her. He didn't seriously consider it-it wasn't Luluko's style-but the lingering doubt had always gnawed at him. He continued reading.

_"I suppose I always have in some way other another... one of the things that hurt me the most about killing Euphemia was that part of me was glad, happy even, that I did it... I'd seen you two becoming closer, and I was jealous. Again, I'm sorry for feeling such things, for being such a petty, vindictive bitch. You're sleeping as I write this; you look happy... I wonder if you will tomorrow night... or any other night after this."_

Since Suzaku was dead it wasn't going to be much of an issue.

_"It's late... or early, depending how you look at it, and I need to get some more sleep. But before I go, my final words to you._

_You made me feel more than a schemer. Ever since mother died, I've been forced to grow up and look after Nunally. I don't resent her for it, but every day I've had to weigh up decisions and second guess, triple guess, actions of myself and other people. While it's served me well, I often felt trapped in my identities-Luluko Lamperouge, the slacker pretty-girl at Ashford Academy, Zero the leader and light of justice and hope, Luluko vi Brittania, the Demon Queen; while with you though, I was able to be Luluko.  
We cannot have a life together; we couldn't even have what most people would call a relationship, and for that I curse fate bitterly. But I can leave you a gift."_

Behind the mask Zero's eyes widened....

_"I was not able to give you a life with me, but I can give you a life with my... our child. Talk to Cecile and Llyod. I had them remove eggs from my ovaries. If we are to have a child is a choice I leave to you Suzu-kun. Whatever your decision, please do not let my memories cause you pain, even as I made you weep, I wanted you to be happy._

_-Luluko"_

_..._and Suzaku wept.


	4. To be beside the Seaside

_This takes place in episode 19 of the first series; after Kallen, Suzaku, Euphemia and Lelouch (or in this work's case, Luluko) get blasted to the neighbouring island.  
_

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was the sound of the sea. As she left the land of nod and returned to the realm of the living, Luluko realised several things after sitting up and searching the immediate surroundings with her gaze.

Firstly, she was on a beach; on a tropical island. One, judging by the distinct lack of military installations, large floating airship, or any sign at all of any human presence, was a different island entirely.

Secondly, this must mean that the Geass she'd been forced to use upon Suzaku had worked. The chaos that had unfolded as whatever-that-weapon-was had charged and Suzaku had escaped.

'I'll have to create a strategy to counter something that destructive, if not get the actual technology itself' thought the young woman, before adding another mental note to pay Schneizal back for that attempt at zapping her like one of those knightmare-esque robots in Rival's animé collection; only he would have been such a ruthless basta... well. As ruthless as herself, if she was going to be true to herself. Also, even though she'd had no choice, just the idea of using her Geass on Suzaku made various parts of her insides twist in an unpleasant way...

Thirdly, after she walked out from under the shade of the palm trees, feet sinking slightly into the soft sand with every step, was that the sun and sea breeze felt wonderful on her face, and it was times like this she could almost forget about her respons...

....her _face!_?

Hand rushing up to check what she already knew, it made contact his her head more forcefully than she'd intended and was rewarded with a blinding, throbbing pain, something on her face (Blood. Mine. A head wound, brilliant.) and she came _ever_ so close to saying 'fuck', aristocratic manners preventing her.

Her mask was missing.

The mask she'd been wearing and she'd spent several nights painstakingly designing to _never _just 'slip' off. 'Where's it gone?' she almost shrieked to herself before Luluko realised she was panicking, and calmed herself down. No-one appeared to be around and screaming like Shirley when she saw a spider would only draw attention from anyone nearby.

She looked around.

'One set of footprints in the sand, stride doesn't seem big-female or small man. Did Kallen unmask me while I wa... no. She'd have shaken me awake and yelled my head off if she'd been the one.'

She also saw her mask, lying a few feet away from where she'd been lying. A rather nasty looking hole had been punched into the side of it-apparently whatever gave her the head wound had been vicious enough to smash a hole in the mask. If the mask hadn't been designed to double up as a helmet then odds were the hole in the mask would have been in her skull. Luluko wondered about an assassin but immediately dismissed the idea. She must have received it during whatever happened while she lost conciousness and ended up here. No assassin would leave their job unfinished like that.

She checked the pocket in the side of her disguise-amongst the padding to give her a more masculine torso a gun was hidden. It wouldn't stand up to a search but it wouldn't give a casual look suspicion.

Still there.

Luluko began running through the lists of people who could be who she'd ended up on the island with. Pretty much anyone in the Black Knights would have tried to question her, and certainly not have been so sloppy as to not check her for weapons. Suzaku the same. 'So, some gormless, naïve fool without proper combat training who...' Her train of thought was derailed and fell off a cliff as the answer quite literally came to her, appearing around some palm trees around 100 yards down the beach, walking to her without an apparent care in the world, waving to her as if nothing had changed.

'Of _course_.'

She watched the figure walk towards her until they were face to face, before acknowledging her.

"Hello Euphemia."

* * *

As they sat against one of the palm trees on the beach, Euphemia struggled with how to open a conversation. Luluko had spoken Japanese automatically until Euphemia asked her to speak to her in English, due to her Japanese not being as good as Luluko's. 'You also have a Japanese lilt to your voice when you speak English now,' Euphemia thought. She found the fact saddening for some reason she couldn't quite identify...

"It's been a while Lulu." the pink-haired princess said. When the woman by her side didn't react, Euphemia mentally sighed. 'Nice opening. So much for that diplomatic training... it's times like this I think Cornelia and those stuffy advisers are right.' She was disrupted from her thoughts when she heard her half-sister reply.

"...it has, hasn't it."

It seemed strange, hearing her speak with it. Then again it was strange looking at her now... she looked so masculine in those clothes. If it wasn't for the hair and voice... no, if it wasn't for the voice, she could be a man.

'Then again, that's the point, isn't it...' she thought to herself.

Euphemia looked at some distant spot on the beach. The silence was deafening. She wanted to ask her so much but... if Lulu was Zero that meant she'd murdered their brother, hundreds... no, thousands, of innocent people. If she was to be utterly honest with herself, part of her was worried she'd kill her too. They sat like that for a while, until Euphemia couldn't take it and asked the first thing that sprang to her mind.

"Lulu?"

"It's Luluko."

"...no it isn't, it's Lulu. Aunty Marianne named you Lulu," countered the blue eyed woman with a finality to her tone.

"...she did, didn't she." It wasn't a question but a statement, followed by a sigh. "I don't know why, but people in Japan keep calling me Luluko. I gave up trying to correct them after seven months. You get used to it."

"Is Nunally alive?"

In her peripheral vision she saw Lulu tense slightly.

"Yes, she's alive. We've been together since 'Daddy' exiled us." Euphemia cringed at the way Luluko said 'Daddy'. Luluko had apparently inherited her father's ability to make people know _exactly_ what she thought about something, even if she didn't say it.

"H... how is she?" As soon as the words left her mouth she started back-pedalling furiously. 'How is she', what kind of question was that to ask about someone who was blind and crippled! Euphemia had realised (before anyone else actually-she'd always had a knack for picking up on people's emotions) all those years ago that Luluko doted on her little sister, and taken her sister's injury even harder than her mother's death.

"Er, I-I mean, I know she's injured but..."

"It's all right Euphemia, I know what you meant," Luluko soothed. "She's doing all right, all things considered."

The silence returned after that, but it wasn't crushing any more, and the two just sat there enjoying each other's company. Euphemia noticed Lulu seemed to be getting very hot in that outfit-unusually so, almost as if she had insulation in it or something. As she moved her gaze to look out at the sea, she had a wistful smile as she daydreamed of seeing Nunally again. She wasn't stupid, like some people thought; she knew she wouldn't be able to see Nunally. If she did visit her then Nunally would be revealed to the world, and be taken back to Britannia... she wasn't against that happening in principle, but if Nunally and (she turned her head to study her sibling again) Lulu were to come back, then they'd come back because they _wanted_ to.

That they'd kept such a low profile for so long meant they must have their reasons for staying off the radar.

"What is it Euphemia?"

The princess gave a squeak of surprise-she hadn't realised she'd been staring.

"It's nothing, it's just..." noticing the hair sticking to the sweat on her half-sister's face she felt an idea take form in the back of her mind, and as she looked away trying to think of something her gaze fell onto the crystal clear sea, and the idea came forward. Turning to face Lulu, she gave her a determined look. "Let's go for a swim."

Luluko blinked before replying "...sorry?" with a blank look.

"Let's go for a swim" Euphemia repeated, with a no-nonsense tone that matched the look on her face. Recalling the look from her childhood, Luluko realised Euphemia wouldn't take no for an answer, but tried to worm out out of it anyway-they were as good as strangers now.

"We don't have swimsuits."

"It's not the first time we'll have seen each other naked, Lulu. Besides, you're obviously getting hot in that outfit, we're both filthy and we're both girls. I saw a sheltered part of the beach before," she continued as she stood up, "so even if someone comes onto the beach they won't see us immediately."

Bowing to the inevitable-plus she _was_ very hot thanks to the damned padding-Luluko stood to follow. "Lead the way princess."

* * *

Several hours later the two women were sunbathing on rocks by the sea, as their clothes dried from the makeshift washing they'd received in a pool of freshwater, reminiscing over their childhood together. "Remember when Clovis was turned down by Elizabeth to that dance when he was ten?" Euphemia giggled, recalling the episode Clovis had asked a seventeen year old noble to the dance with him; she had of course (politely) declined, but little Clovis had been crushed.

"He was so upset I volunteered to go instead, and he cheered up right away, even after mother forbade me to go, because I was only seven. I threw such a tantrum." Luluko smiled at the memory.

"Clovis was inconsolable when he heard you'd died in Japan," Euphemia said as she looked up at the cloudless sky, so unable to notice Luluko's face, as she continued to speak. "As soon as he was able he seized the chance to govern Area 11; he said it was a chess puzzle you'd left him that only he could solve." As she continued to talk Luluko's face grew steadily darker. "He wanted to make it the most wealthy, peaceful and happy Area to honour your memory, and-"

"-I killed him, the person he'd been doing it all for," Luluko cut in, bringing Euphemia back to earth and realising her mistake. Turning to look at Lulu, the woman had turned her head away, but her fist was tightly balled, tendons straining in the delicate hand. Seeing guilt start to consume her sister Euphemia tried to change the subject...

"You're so like your mother, Luluko. If it wasn't for the hairstyle, I'd swear you were almost identical to her from what I remember she looked like, and in the portraits at the palace."

"Clovis thought I was Marianne at first... then I shot him."

...and failed miserably. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour Euphemia fell silent, watching the young woman wrestle with the guilt, visibly forcing it out of her mind, until it looked as if Euphemia had never brought the subject their late half-brother up.

As she watched her sister, Euphemia realised something; she was... well... not _thin, _really-she was certainly not fat, but you couldn't see her ribs clearly (at least when she wasn't breathing in too heavily, she mentally corrected herself) it was just... she was so frail looking, for lack of a better word. Euphemia was considered petite but as she surreptitiously compared their wrists as they lay there, Luluko's were even smaller. She looked so delicate, like the dolls Euphemia used to play with and try to get Cornelia to play with, much to her elder sibling's annoyance. Except... Euphemia's gaze strayed upwards, and felt the blood flow to her face in both embarrassment and jealousy as she braced herself for her half-sister's reaction to her question.

"Lulu?"

Said woman gave a small grunt as she lay there, eyes closed as she enjoyed the sun.

"What's your..." Euphemia mentally wrestled how to phrase to question, before deciding to throw tact out the window and just ask. "What's your bra size?"

Said raven haired girl froze momentarily, before her chest started juddering in contained laughter. Sitting up Lulu checked her face to make sure she was serious, before she started laughing to cover her embarrassment as she blushed.

"W-what kind of question is _that_?" she managed to exclaim between the laughs

"I just wanted to know!" huffed back the pink hair princess. "They're not as big as Cornelia's-she's an D-I'm a C but you're too big to be a C and I can't really tell because of that Zero disguise and the padding..." she trailed off as she saw Luluko's face become steadily more and more incredulous as she continued.

"...'I just wanted to know'?" Luluko arched a delicate eyebrow and Euphemia's eyes widened slightly as for a brief moment she didn't see her sister Lulu, but her aunt Marianne. While thinking-for what seemed like the dozenth time that Lulu's likeness to her mother was border line identical twin-she let slip the reason why.

"Because Suzaku talks about you a lot."

Luluko's laughter died on her lips, a puzzled look on her face before she started to feel her face heat. "He... he does?"

"Well, he didn't say your name; he just kept calling you a friend from school. I always thought it was strange how he never told me her name, but now I know who he meant it's obvious why he wouldn't tell me."

Luluko was vaguely impressed Suzaku had managed to avoid blowing her cover. However... "That still doesn't answer my question though: why do you want to know so badly?"

Euphemia sat up herself, and replied, unable to make eye contact and with a slightly nervous voice, "I... I think I... he seems to like you Luluko. A lot."

Feeling a full on blush, Luluko stuttered incoherently for a few seconds before she practically yelled in her half-sister's face: "T-that prat likes me? Well I do _not_ like him! He never thinks things through! He thinks he can change Britannia from within, he's never going to accomplish anything that way, and..." Euphemia gazed on in awe as Luluko ranted for nearly a minute about Suzaku, blushing all the while, until she sensed her raven haired companion was winding up her mini speech.

"...he's got a death wish and he's a complete _zealot_!"

"But do you like him?"

A momentary look of panic.

"N-no, of course I don't, don't be stupid!"

Euphemia gave Luluko a long, measuring look. "...I see."

Returning the gaze with a haughty glower, Luluko stood up, speaking as she did so. "I'm going to see if our clothes are dry," she snarked before she practically stalked off.

* * *

Clothed once again, they were walking through the forest trying to find signs of life other than their own. Hearing voices ahead, Luluko slipped her mask on, since the damage didn't reveal her face, and grabbed Euphemia to hold her hostage. As the mask drew near the side of Euphemia's ear, she heard Luluko's voice, smothered with the voice distorter.

"In answer to your question before: I'm a CC."

_(Fin)  
_

* * *

_All started by 'I wonder if Luluko and Euphemia would girl-talk about Suzaku on the island during that episode?'_

_Not very happy about the transition from the penultimate scene to the final, but I couldn't think of anything better and I feel I've milked this scenario for what it's worth; I even got to lampshade the whole think about female lelouch being Luluko. I'm thinking of doing one where Gino chats Luluko up... and she flirts back, much to Suzaku's annoyance. I was going to do the 'trap' scene but I dropped it. The idea was Luluko would create a snare (unlike Lelouch) and catch something (again unlike Lelouch), but Euphemia would beg her to spare the cute widdle bunny wabbit (or whatever generic cute animal it happened to be) and then either she'd kill it anyway, showing how ruthless she could be, or spare it, showing Euphemia's ability to get people to do things (and foreshadowing the special area for Japan)._

_I dropped it because I didn't think it really added anything-after all, we know Lelouch and by extension Luluko is ruthless to a disturbing, if not frightening degree (just look at what how he manipulated Rolo in the series!) and we know how Euphemia could get people to do what she wanted. Since this one shot series is entirely about how people would interact with a female Lelouch, and vice versa, it was just a waste of space._

_Also, I wasn't sure about Luluko's chest fanart has her ranging from 'Lelouch with long hair' to 'Titty Monster'. In the end I asked on a certain site what size they thought it was. I toyed with one of the user's suggestion of making Luluko's chest smaller than the other girls (except Nina of course) and give her a complex about it. I didn't for two reasons though-firstly, I really liked the (lame) CC joke/reference, and secondly I couldn't see how I'd manage to work in the boob comparing scene otherwise. I feel in my eyes it's important because it changes to tone from guilt-trip-over-Clovis to silly. It also bridges the Clovis scene and the Suzaku scene. (And making Luluko tsundere was just too good not to pass up.) Speaking of CC, I've not broguht her in yet because I honestly don't think how their interactions would differ-hence her lack of appearance._

_Oh, and useless trivia: I wrote the 'End' chapter while listening to Zessei Bijin by Ai Nonaka. (Yes, I have a twisted sense of humour. For those of you who don't get it, look the lyrics up.) I'm also glad I made people cry-not so much because I'm an arse (which I probably am) but because I was aiming for a bittersweet ending. Which apparently is what I managed to do.  
_


End file.
